I can picture my thoughts as a fortress of solitude, each memory stored in shards and fragments, some lost for years then found unexpectedly, some splintered by heavy impact, leaving traces on my body like tree rings.

I came home from travelling this weekend, and my entire front yard was covered in yellow leaves from the tree in front of my house, and I couldn't help but smile for all the colors of my past, for the physical warmth it sends up my spine, and also for the strength it gives me to step into new light.